ATLANTA -- Brian Snitker’s days as Braves manager have ended, but he will still experience his 50th straight season as a member of the organization next year.
Snitker will not extend his managerial career into the 2026 season, the club announced during a press conference on Wednesday. The 69-year-old baseball lifer is moving into an advisory role with the club and will be inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame next year.
“Honestly, I never thought I’d manage one day in the Major Leagues, let alone 10 years,” Snitker said. “I never thought I’d hoist a [World Series] trophy. I never thought I’d be around a group of guys that makes this so special. It’s about the players and we’ve been fortunate here to have the greatest group of coaches and players.”
An emotional Snitker fought back tears as he said these words while sitting in front of current Braves Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies, Spencer Strider, Michael Harris II, Joe Jiménez, Drake Baldwin and Reynaldo Lopez, who all came to Truist Park for Wednesday’s announcement. Longtime Atlanta coach Eddie Perez was also present.
When Snitker signed a three-year deal after the 2022 season, his expectation was this would be his final season. He felt this way throughout much of this year, but Snitker started to have second thoughts as the ‘25 season neared an end. Did he really want to end a great career with a losing season wrecked by injuries?
Snitker spent the past few weeks talking to friends and family members. A recent message from his mentor Bobby Cox gave Snitker further reason to contemplate another season. But after having multiple meetings with president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos and Braves CEO Terry McGuirk over the past couple days, Snitker decided to erase hope of getting an offer to continue being the team’s manager.
“I kind of had to sit there with myself Monday night, and be realistic and ask myself, can I go through this again?” Snitker said.
Snitker’s passion for the game and love of both the organization and players hasn’t wavered. But he began to dread little things like travel, which at one point was viewed as a top perk. Of course, the travel took Snitker away from his 10-year-old twin grandsons, Luke and Jude Goodman, who count baseball and golf among their many youth activities.
“When I told my grandsons, I thought they were going to club me over the head,” Snitker said. “They said, ‘You can come to our games in the spring and summer, and I said, ‘Yes, I can.’ They were excited. I missed everything my kids did. One of the things I didn’t want was to miss everything my grandkids do.”
Sitting front and center for Wednesday’s presser was Ronnie Snitker, who has lived the often-hard baseball life since the early 1980s, when she met Brian through Cito Gaston. The two men, who would both become World Series-winning managers, were roommates during the Braves’ instructional league in Bradenton, Fla.
The Snitkers had some new gifts to enjoy when they left Truist Park on Wednesday. The Braves presented them with a new truck and a trip to Hawaii. It was also announced that Snitker will be enshrined in the team’s Hall of Fame next summer.
“We celebrate and honor not only one of the most accomplished managers in the history of our franchise, but also one of the finest people to ever wear the Braves uniform, Brian Snitker,” McGuirk said. “You know, in an era where loyalty in professional sports is rare, Brian's story is remarkable.”
When it comes to loyalty and success, there aren’t many stories that rival Snitker’s. His current run with the Braves began as a Minor League catcher in 1977. Instead of just releasing Snitker three years later, then-farm director Hank Aaron made him a coach within the organization. The coaching assignments consisted of throwing batting practice and hitting fungoes. But it turns out this was the start of something special.
Snitker was just 26 when he was named manager of Single-A Anderson (S.C.) in 1982. He handled many different roles for the Braves over the next few decades and was surprised to be named Atlanta’s interim manager six weeks into the 2016 season. Snitker immediately earned the respect of veterans like Freddie Freeman and Nick Markakis, who fought for him to remain in the role once the season ended.
The Braves were in the process of rebuilding when Snitker became the manager, and they tasted success much earlier than expected when they won the 2018 National League East title. This was the first of six straight division crowns and seven straight trips to the playoffs. It was also the first of eight memorable seasons working alongside Anthopoulos.
“It was the best run of success of my career,” Anthopoulos said. “He’s the reason I’m wearing this [2021 World Series] ring.”
Making the crowning achievement of Snitker’s big-league managerial career even more significant was that the Braves won the 2021 World Series while competing against the Astros, who have employed Brian and Ronnie’s son, Troy Snitker, as a hitting coach dating back to ‘19.
Snitker has influenced the careers of countless Braves players over each of the past five decades. He was chosen by Aaron and taught by Cox. Now, as an advisor, Snitker will continue to positively impact the Braves, while also getting a chance to spend more time with family.
“I was blessed to be raised by Hall of Famers and people who did it right,” Snitker said.